Code Hero: Play and Learn

mikejuk writes with a bit from I Programmer on what sounds like an intriguing new game: "If you're bored with games where you run around shooting soldiers or monsters, how about a game where you shoot enemies to win computer code snippets that you can then use to shape the reality around you? It's good to play and good enough to win both the Editor's Choice and Kid's Choice at this year's Bay Area Maker Faire." The linked story has a video demo, too.

Comments

A primitive Matrix

[Baloroth]

It looks like an attempt to create a Matrix-style world where you can shape it in real time. I'd worry a bit about it being over-simplified, but it does look (from the video) like you can type actual real code, so a good start.

Reminds me (a bit) of Droidbattles. The problem in coding games is to create some objective for the code. Simply wandering around changing the world is cool, but it would get boring pretty quick, and it won't have many players without some goal behind the coding. So, a war between several sides, or battles between programs, something like that. Otherwise it's just a harder to use sandbox game. Which is cool and all, but not terribly interesting from a gameplay aspect.

Re:A primitive Matrix

[LXPK]

Both Tron and MAtrix are big inspirations but we take the actual literal reality of what exists in a 3D game engine world simulation as the rules of the land rather than making up movie-friendly metaphors with nerdy words. Matrix and Tron and Star Wars are all essentially fantasy sci fi: Lots of fun, but not closely linked to a physical reality. Although Code Hero takes place in a Matrix-like world, it has definite rules which players can master and exploit and one can parlay that mastery into creating your own games and pursuing other computer science inspired paths.

We're working to make the visuals more informative and interactive gameplay-wise than being merely eye-candy. Hence the green walls of code are not japanese gibberish but javascript that can be read and used and manipulated.

If you see a pretty graphical effect, the code glowing in it may in fact be the shader code that generates itself.

Re:A primitive Matrix

[Opportunist]

Graphics? Is that all that matters? Just to use a car analogy, it's like buying a car for the new car smell, ignoring its performance or mileage.

In a nutshell, the "wow" effect wears off rather quickly. After that, what's left is gameplay. And given the choice between graphics that requires me to buy the next generation graphics card for 1000+ bucks and gameplay that keeps me hooked beyond the time when a throwaway computer could render it sensibly, I choose gameplay over graphics any time.

Re:My first script...

[Columcille]

Error: Assignment operator found in line 1.

Interesting Idea

[Rizimar]

I really like the cyberpunk virtual reality setting. It looks like a game straight out of the 90's. The concept of Code Hero sounds great, too, but the gameplay itself doesn't look all that interesting. It's hard to tell what the game will actually be like from descriptions and an in-development video, but it seems like there's a combination of shooting code blocks from a first-person perspective and actually writing code. I imagine that stopping to type code would slow down the rest of the game, but I'll watch the development because this could turn out to be very promising. Until then, it's making me want to replay the original System Shock where you can also enter a virtual reality and fight an evil AI from a first-person perspective.

Re:Interesting Idea

[SanityInAnarchy]

I imagine that stopping to type code would slow down the rest of the game...

Maybe, but I don't see that causing problems in other games. Mass Effect, for instance, allows me to select abilities, change weapons, and otherwise order my squad around while the game is paused, but it's not like I'm tempted to stay in that mode forever -- more likely, I get into that for a few seconds, then back into the game.

Plus, it has a giant threatening countdown. I wonder if that pauses while you're typing code.

And I'm not going to lie, the gameplay is what looks most interesting here:

there's a combination of shooting code blocks from a first-person perspective and actually writing code.

Come on! Who doesn't want a game that lets you write code and then apply it to a game world using a gun?

Re:Copy and paste?

[Rizimar]

Because in Guitar Hero, you're in a band playing to an audience live and not in a recording studio session.

It's not Java!

[SanityInAnarchy]

How many times do we have to correct this?

Javascript is not Java.

And it's more Scheme-like than you think, but with an ALGOL-enough syntax that people can pick it up much more easily.

Re:looks like fun...

[LXPK]

What does Player.score say about his power level - What? It's OVER 9000!!!!!!!

(You guessed one of the easter eggs in the game, it doesn't work but it wins you an achievement for trying anyways )

Alex Peake, Code Hero creater / Primer Labs founder

Re:Copy and paste?

[LXPK]

Creator here: Copying code is analogous to finding items in a regular RPG FPS. You can bind code to any hotkey on the keyboard till you are bristling with tools for creating and combating anything imaginable. But you can also instantly edit the code mid-combat or while solving puzzles to tweak variables at first and eventually to write your own code to solve problems.

Gamer gamers can enjoy this without knowing exactly how code works, but the story is full of actual training opportunities that teach you from syntax up to actual game development in Unity3D.

Re:looks like fun...

[LXPK]

There are indeed heavy permissions on what you can eval in-game. Circumventing some of those is half the fun.